Purple Cup showcases power of inclusion through golf in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Nonprofit EnAble India hosted the fifth edition of the Purple Cup, an inclusive golf tournament, on Thursday. 

Launched in 2021, the Purple Cup uses sport to build awareness and empathy and aims to bring persons with disabilities into mainstream golf, promote golf for persons with vision impairment, and encourage corporates to drive inclusion beyond workplaces. 

It has introduced over 120 people with vision impairment to golf and nurtured a growing community of inclusive golfers through the Purple Academy at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA), a release said. 

This year's edition brought together 104 golfers, including four persons with vision impairment, one person with autism, eight juniors and eight caddies. Fourteen participants with vision impairment took part in the Golf Clinic, while 44 players engaged in the Putting Range experience. 

Prem Muniyappa emerged as the winner in the Gross category with a score of 34 points. In the 0–9 Gents category, Saif Mehkri and Dayamay Tiwari both scored 37 points. The Ladies category saw Rina Lenka and Arpitha Shaji KS securing 36 and 35 points, respectively. 

In the 10–18 Gents category, Nitin Chowdhary topped the leaderboard with 45 points, followed by Ashutosh Majeshwar with 36 points. The 19–24 Gents category was won by Nandan S, a golfer on the autism spectrum, who scored 37 points, and Avinash Sosale came second with 35 points. In the Caddies category, Saravana won with 30 points. 

Other prizes included John A (1 ft 9 in) for Straightest Drive (2nd Hole), Prateek Jalan (10 ft) for Closest to Pin (15th Hole), and Mahima (288 yards) for Longest Drive (9th Hole), the release added.